How often do you clean your PC?

[Hi P]

I've been cleaning the monitor, desktop and dust filters at least twice a week.

 

Looking at all the dust I've been sweeping off the floor after doing so, leaves me with two questions:

 

1.- How often should I clean the components inside the case?

 

2.- Can they be cleaned with a piece of cloth or is compressed air a must?

 

Thank you

[Canada EH]

Its just a matter of how you collect the dust. Do you use a duster with all them light feathery bits on them, or do you use a paper towel with windex on it. You can use an air can for the inside of the case. Lots of nooks and crannies then use air.

[Wh0_Am_1]

To answer the title question way less often than I should (every 9 months or so)

 

1) every 3 to 6 months depending on your climate

 

2) you can use other methods, but the preferred method is compressed air, whether it is from a can or an air compressor (keep your air compressor in a cool dry place) as there is little risk if any of damage to your computer via static electricity or component loss due to accidentally bumping it. (do note if you use an air compressor don't use a high pressure nozzle)

[Hi P]

12 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

You can use an air can for the inside of the case. Lots of nooks and crannies then use air.

I always wondered, doesn't compressed air push the dust inside the components? (like when cleaning the dust off the GPU fans)

[PopsicleHustler]

I use compressed air and a paint brush. Cleaning my PC whenever I think its time, usually every 2 months when my dust filters get blocked.

[mxk]

My current PC pretty much has no fans or dust filters since the case is old. I should probably clean the GPU, PSU, and CPU cooler but I don't use my PC much during the week so it probably doesn't collect as much dust compared to me using it more.

[Canada EH]

2 minutes ago, PopsicleHustler said:

2 months

2 decades or 2 years just depends I guess

[Guest]

Once a year.. there's always lying some dust on the floor.. not really sure what it does there 

4 minutes ago, Hi P said:

I always wondered, doesn't using compressed air just push the dust inside the components? like when cleaning the dust off the GPU fans?

Just inspect it yourself, there is really no chance of dust gathering on the 'board' side... cooling wings, and the side of the fans ( and the bottom of the case apperently ) are most prone… I'm not sure if this is fantasy but i think i read something about using materials to reject dust or even with the use of a very small current   

[NineEyeRon]

I have that electric air blower off amazon.  Before I had dust filter case I was cleaning dust off every 2-3 months, not a lot, just keeping it clear.

 

Barely seen any dust in my new case after 3 months. Dust filters are amazing!

 

Avoid air cans, they are rubbish.

[_Hustler_One_]

Bimonthly..

[NineEyeRon]

5 hours ago, _Hustler_One_ said:

Bimonthly..

Is that twice a month or every other month, I can’t remember.

[_Hustler_One_]

26 minutes ago, NIneEyeRon said:

Is that twice a month or every other month, I can’t remember.

Once per 2 months

[Lady Fitzgerald]

18 hours ago, PopsicleHustler said:

I use compressed air and a paint brush. Cleaning my PC whenever I think its time, usually every 2 months when my dust filters get blocked.

Using paint brushes is dangerous since they can generate a static discharge that might fry components. Before anyone chimes in that they'e been using paint brushes umpteen years and never fried anything but eggs and bacon on their stove, that is probably true. Using a paint brush doesn't guarantee you will fry someting but the chance you wiil still exists so why take a chance? Anti-static brushes are available.

 

As far how long between cleanings goes, that depends on each person's situation. One person may get away going a year or more without cleaning. Another one may need to clean daily. It depends on humidity, the amount of dust in a room and how fast it builds up, how long the computer runs each day, how much air flow is through the computer, whether the case intakes are filtered and if the case has positive or negative air pressure inside, and, for all I know, maybe even the phase of the moon. Each person and each computer has to be determined by how fast dust actually accumulates inside the computer.

 

I blew off the outside of the filters on my last desktop two or three times a week, depending on how much dust could be seen on them, removed the filters once a week to back blow them clean, then cleaned the inside of the case around once a month. If we had a lot of dust storms blow through or I went on a house cleaning binge (I live in a very dusty part of the country that is in a drought), I would have to decrease the times between cleanings.

[Velcade]

Dust doesn't seem to accumulate on the filters too often in my case.  I clean when dust is visible on the inside of the case.  This comes out to roughly once a quarter.

[PopsicleHustler]

4 hours ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Using paint brushes is dangerous since they can generate a static discharge that might fry components. Before anyone chimes in that they'e been using paint brushes umpteen years and never fried anything but eggs and bacon on their stove, that is probably true. Using a paint brush doesn't guarantee you will fry someting but the chance you wiil still exists so why take a chance? Anti-static brushes are available.

 

As far how long between cleanings goes, that depends on each person's situation. One person may get away going a year or more without cleaning. Another one may need to clean daily. It depends on humidity, the amount of dust in a room and how fast it builds up, how long the computer runs each day, how much air flow is through the computer, whether the case intakes are filtered and if the case has positive or negative air pressure inside, and, for all I know, maybe even the phase of the moon. Each person and each computer has to be determined by how fast dust actually accumulates inside the computer.

 

I blew off the outside of the filters on my last desktop two or three times a week, depending on how much dust could be seen on them, removed the filters once a week to back blow them clean, then cleaned the inside of the case around once a month. If we had a lot of dust storms blow through or I went on a house cleaning binge (I live in a very dusty part of the country that is in a drought), I would have to decrease the times between cleanings.

Humidity is on tropical level in Ireland, so static isn't a big issue.

Also, I'm using very soft organic brush while I ground myself. Its 100% safe.

[WereCatf]

I'm lazy, I clean my PC maybe once a year. Then again, I go for overpressure-cases instead of underpressure-ones, so there's less dust-accumulation there. As for how I clean it, I just use canned air; no brushes or anything like that, nothing that might leave residue and nothing that's likely to cause static electricity to build up.

[vjizzle2384]

On 12/16/2018 at 4:40 PM, Wh0_Am_1 said:

To answer the title question way less often than I should (every 9 months or so)

 

1) every 3 to 6 months depending on your climate

 

2) you can use other methods, but the preferred method is compressed air, whether it is from a can or an air compressor (keep your air compressor in a cool dry place) as there is little risk if any of damage to your computer via static electricity or component loss due to accidentally bumping it. (do note if you use an air compressor don't use a high pressure nozzle)

I started using air can but sometimes it sprays out white stuff is that bad?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

27 minutes ago, vjizzle2384 said:

I started using air can but sometimes it sprays out white stuff is that bad?

It can be. The "white stuff" is a result of spraying liquid from the can and can freeze components cold enough to do damage. You must keep the can upright while spraying to prevent liquid from spraying out.

[vjizzle2384]

24 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

It can be. The "white stuff" is a result of spraying liquid from the can and can freeze components cold enough to do damage. You must keep the can upright while spraying to prevent liquid from spraying out.

K thanks 

[Mick Naughty]

If I had a system on air, I’d blow it out annually given the amount of dust I have now. But with the radiators, I do it maybe twice a year. But i wipe down the inside atleast once a month if I actually look through the panel and can bring myself to take it off. 

[Lockram]

I used to clean it once a month. That got pretty tiresome, so I tried moving my pc away from the floor. And that really helped a lot. So now I only clean it every 6 months.